The bartender's ugliness is legendary because attractiveness has become affordable. Therefore, the bartender's lack of beauty is remarkable in that it is a personal choice rather than an unavoidable affliction.

2. What was Case's profession? How did he lose his ability?

Case was a hacker. His job was to steal data from large, well-protected corporate mainframes and give it to his employers for a price. Case's ability to operate a computer and experience the matrix was burned out of his brain with a Russian toxin as punishment for stealing from his employers.

3. Why is being unable to enter cyberspace such a harsh penalty for Case?

Case lives for the thrill of cyberspace, and hacking is his main talent. As a hacker, he came to resent his mortal body; now, he is trapped in it like a prison.